Baby bath seat with hanger

ABSTRACT

A baby bath seat assembly includes a support member having a mounting bracket that clamps onto a tub wall and carrying a support that extends downwardly into the tub. The support carries a base on which the seat is mounted to turn through approximately 180°, and a detent mechanism releasably locks the seat in any selected position.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/302,718, filed Jul. 3, 2001, which ishereby incorporated by reference. This application is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 10/469,412 filed on Jul. 1, 2002 asPCT/US02/20816, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to bath seats for young children and moreparticularly comprises a new and improved baby's bath seat that attachesto a side wall of the tub and provides a secure seat for a child.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The acceptability of bath seats for use by young children is determinedby many major safety considerations, including the stability of the bathseat and the inability of a child seated in the bath seat to either slipoff it under the seat restraint or climb out of the seat. Otherconsiderations are the comfort of the child, the accessibility of thechild by the caregiver bathing it, and the ease with which the bath seatmay be mounted for use in a bath tub.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The bath seat of the present invention maximizes the safetyconsiderations and at the same time provides comfort for the child, isconvenient to use and is easy to attach to and detach from the tub. Moreparticularly, the bath seat assembly of the present invention includes amounting bracket for attaching the seat assembly to a side wall of thetub by means of a clamp that may be adjusted to fit a wide variety oftub shapes and sizes. The mounting bracket is attached to a support thatextends downwardly toward the bottom of the tub and which in turncarries a base for a child's seat. In the preferred embodiment, the seatmay be pivoted on the base so that the child in the seat may bethoroughly and conveniently bathed. Moreover, the seat may be releasablylocked in several different positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a bath seat thatembodies this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a bath seat viewed from outside thetub and with the seat in an alternative position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a bath seat showing oneembodiment of a rotatable support and lock for the bath seat;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the base of the seat taken alongsection line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along section line6-6 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The bath seat of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 mountedin a bath tub 10 that is representative of a great variety of bath tubsnow available and with which the seat may be used. The bath tub 10normally includes a bottom wall 12, end walls (not shown) and side walls18 (one of which is shown). Conventionally, one end wall either carriesor is disposed closely adjacent to the faucet or faucets (not shown) forsupplying water to the tub and adjacent a drain (not shown) provided inthe bottom wall 12. The tub may be assumed to be disposed with itssecond side wall against or coincident with a wall of the room in whichthe tub is placed while the opposite side wall 18 is spaced from thewall so that both its inner and outer faces 20 and 22 are exposed. Thetub may of course be free standing or it may have one, neither or bothof its end walls coincident with a wall or walls of the room housing thetub and/or both side walls may be fully exposed, that is, spaced fromthe room walls.

The bath seat assembly 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a supportassembly 32 composed of a mounting bracket 34, support 36 and base 38.The base 38 in turn carries the bath seat 40 that also forms part of thebath seat assembly 30. It will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that themounting bracket 34 of the support assembly 32 spans the upper surface44 of the tub wall 18 and includes parts that engage the tub wall uppersurface 44 as well as the inner and outer tub wall surfaces 20 and 22.In this embodiment the mounting bracket includes a top wall 50, an innersubstantially vertical wall 52 and an outer substantially vertical wall54. The walls 52 and 54 may diverge from one another in a downwarddirection or be capable of doing so to accommodate the shape of the tubside wall. The inner and outer walls 52 and 54 along with the top wall50 are intended to firmly engage the upper portion of the tub wall 18 soas to provide a very firm and essentially immovable but releasableconnection to the wall 18. For that purpose, the bottom surface 56 ofthe top wall 50 and the opposed facing surfaces 58 and 60 of the walls52 and 54 may be integrally formed with or be otherwise provided with acovering layer that will not slip on the smooth tub surface. It iscontemplated that the inner and outer walls 52 and 54 of the mountingbracket may be moved with respect to one another so as to vary the gapbetween them. This will enable the walls to be clamped tightly againstthe inner and outer surfaces of the side wall of the tub to insure avery tight fit so that the mounting bracket is fixed in position untilsuch time as a responsible person wishes to remove the assembly 30 withthe seat 40 after the baby has been removed from it. As an example, andnot to be interpreted as a limitation to the scope of the invention, theinner wall 52 may be slidably mounted on the top wall 50 of the mountingbracket, and it may be moved toward and away from the outer wall 54 by avise-like assembly typically operated by a screw axially fixed on theassembly 30 and engaging a threaded hole in the wall 52 so that rotationof the screw will translationally move the wall 52 on its slide mountingto the top wall and force the two walls 52 and 54 firmly against theinner and outer surfaces 20 and 22 of the tub wall 18. The screw (notshown) connected to the wall 52 may be threaded through a hole in thesupport 36 causing it to move axially when rotated and move that walltoward or away from the outer wall 54. As yet another alternative, asecond outer wall may be rigidly connected to the top wall 50 parallelto and beyond the outer wall 54 and a vise-like screw actuator maythread through the second outer wall and carry the outer wall 54 towardand away from the tub wall 18 and opposite inner wall 52. In yet anotherembodiment, wall 52 or 54 may be spring loaded toward the other wall bya compression spring disposed, for example, between wall 52 and support32. The clamping action may be effective whether or not the top wall 50engages the top of the tub wall 50.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the top wall 50 of themounting bracket includes a tray 70 formed either as an integral partthereof or fabricated separately and attached to the wall 50. The tray70 provides a convenient repository for the soap, washcloth, etc. usedto bathe the baby. The top wall 50 is also shown to carry a pair ofcushions 72 and 74 on which the attendant bathing the baby may resthis/her wrists or arms while leaning over to bathe the baby.

The support 36 that extends downwardly from the mounting bracket 34 maybe integrally formed with the bracket or be separately formed andthereafter connected to it. For convenience of storage and travel, thesupport 36 may be separated from the bracket when the bath seat assemblyis not in use. The support 36 may also be expandable or otherwiseadjustable in length to accommodate tubs having side walls of differentheight. For example, it may telescope together and lock in selectedlengths to allow the base 38 to rest on the tub bottom wall 12.

The base 38 of the mounting assembly 32 may engage or be disposed abovethe bottom wall 12 of the tub, and its upper surface 81 provides aplatform for the bath seat 40. The base 38 is connected to the support36 by means of the base extension 39. The bath seat includes a bottomwall 80, preferably contoured on its upper surface 83 to provide acomfortable seat for the baby, and a baby retainer 82 that in theembodiment shown is in the form of a continuous ring that encircles thebaby's torso when resting on the seat surface 83. The retainer 82 in theembodiment shown is carried by four legs 84, 86, 88 and 90 connected attheir lower and upper ends to the bottom wall 80 and retainer 82respectively. In the embodiment shown, a cushioning layer 92 is providedon the upper surface 83 of the seat and forms a no-slip surface thatwill prevent the baby from sliding about on the seat. The functionperformed by the covering 92 may also be achieved by specially texturingthe surface 83 itself. Either technique falls within the scope of thisinvention.

The post 84 serves as a crotch post disposed between the baby's legsthat extend outwardly beyond the edges of the bottom wall 80 through theopenings 94 and 96 respectively defined between the posts 84 and 86, and84 and 90. The openings 94 and 96 as well as the openings between theposts 86 and 88 and between posts 88 and 90 are sufficiently small so asnot to allow the torso of a baby to slide through them should both ofthe baby's legs find their way into the same opening when the child isin the bath seat. Moreover, the shape and spacing of the four posts84-90 and the diameter of the retainer 82 preferably is such that a babyproperly seated in the bath seat with its legs in the openings 94 and 96will be unable to lift itself upwardly in the bath seat to an erect orsemi-erect position that would allow it to free itself from the bathseat and climb over the top of the retainer 82. While the retainer ring82 in this embodiment is shown supported by four legs on the bottom wall80, it is to be understood that a different number of legs, for examplethree legs, may be employed but the openings between them should be toosmall to allow a baby's body to slide through.

It is contemplated that the bath seat may be moved circumferentiallyfrom a position wherein the child seated properly in it can be turned toface either end of the tub or in one or more or even an infinite numberof positions between those two extremes. As the seat is turned, thechild preferably faces away from the mounting bracket 34 and support 36,and the tuning motion includes approximately 90 degrees in eitherdirection from the position wherein the baby faces away from the bracket34. Note the contrasting positions of the seat as illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the entire bath seat 40is rotatable through approximately 180 degrees on the base 38 of themounting assembly 30 by means of an arrangement such as shown in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,010,616 and 5,158,460 assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention and incorporated herein by reference. The '460 patentis a continuation of the '616 patent. The relevant portions of theirspecifications and drawings are contained herein (see the followingparagraphs and FIGS. 3-6).

In FIGS. 3-6 the base. of the assembly is shown at 100 and the contouredseat at 102. The seat 102 has a C-shaped rim 104 with a lower lip 106.The rim 104 mates with the peripheral flange 108 on the base 100 byvirtue of a snap fit over the bead 109 of lip 108 as shown in FIG. 5 soas to allow relative rotational movement of the seat 102 and base 100,and retain them in assembled relationship.

A detent mechanism 110 serves as a lock to hold the seat in any selectedangular position with respect to the base 100, and unlocked it permitsrotational motion. The detent mechanism 110 includes a locking member112 with an operating handle 114 that extends through an opening 115 inthe periphery of the seat 102. The locking member 112 carries aplurality of teeth 116 that are sized to engage one or more of the lugs118 arranged in a circular array about the base 100. When engaged asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the seat cannot turn on the base but rather isheld in a fixed position. The locking member is moved by the handle 114between the operative position of FIGS. 3 and 4 to prevent rotation ofthe seat and an inactive position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein theteeth 116 and lugs 118 are disengaged to permit rotation. The rotationof the locking member 112 on its stub shafts 122 is limited by thelength of the slot 115 in the periphery of the seat 102 through whichthe handle 114 extends. A torsion spring or springs 124 may be providedon the shaft or shafts 122 to bias the locking member 112 to itsoperative position of FIGS. 3 and 4 and require the handle to be held inthe position of FIGS. 5 and 6 while the seat 102 is to be turned on thebase 100.

If motion of the bath seat is to be limited to less than 360 degrees,for example, to approximately 180 degrees, the lugs provided in the base38 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 need extend only overapproximately 180 degrees of the base rather than around the fullcircumference thereof as do the lugs 118 in FIG. 4. The detent or itscorresponding part in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 may be mounted onthe seat 80 at a location that will not interfere with the baby in theseat. A handle such as shown at 114 in FIGS. 3 and 5 may be provided foroperating the knob. To further limit the travel to approximately 180degrees or to the circumferential distance deemed preferable, stops maybe provided at the ends of the arcuate row of lugs 114 so as to prohibitmovement of the detent beyond the ends of the row of lugs, and thedetent is moved to the operative position wherein its teeth engage thelugs to lock the seat in position.

It should be appreciated that many different arrangements may beemployed in accordance with other aspects of this invention to limit therotation of the bath seat on the base and fix it in any selectedposition. A wide variety of adjustable connectors operatively associatedwith the seat and case that will securely but releasably lock the twotogether and permit the person bathing the baby to move the seat todifferent positions to facilitate bathing the baby or young child may beacceptable.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the mountingassembly 30 may be molded of a suitable plastic material or it may bemade with any other material that provides comfort to the baby andpossesses sufficient strength and rigidity to serve its intendedfunction.

Having described this invention in detail, those skilled in the art willappreciate that numerous modifications may be made of this inventionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is notintended that the breadth of the invention be limited to the specificembodiments illustrated and described. Rather, the scope of theinvention is to be determined by appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A child bath seat placed within and attached to a bathtub, the bathseat comprising: a seat body including both a seat and a retainingstructure extending above the seat for laterally retaining a childseated in the seat body; and a bracing structure holding the seat bodyin an upright position, the bracing structure having a first endattached to the seat body, and a second end defining a recess receivingan upper edge of a side of the bathtub.
 2. The child bath seat of claim1, further comprising: a clamping mechanism securing the second end ofthe bracing structure to the side of the bathtub.
 3. The child bath seatof claim 2, wherein the bracing structure includes a horizontaladjustment bracket that allows adjustment of the bracing structurecorresponding to a width of the side of the bathtub.
 4. The child bathseat of claim 1, further comprising: a support member attached to abottom surface of the seat.
 5. The child bath seat of claim 1, whereinthe seat body is suspended over the bottom surface of the bathtub. 6.The child bath seat of claim 1, wherein the seat body rests on thebottom surface of the bathtub.
 7. A child bath seat placed within andclamped to a bathtub, the child bath seat comprising: a seat bodyincluding both a seat and a retaining structure above the seat forlaterally retaining a child in the seat body; and a bracing structureholding the seat in an upright position, the bracing structure having afirst end attached to the seat body, and a second end having a clampsecured over an upper edge of the bathtub.
 8. The child seat of claim 7,wherein the bracing structure includes a horizontal adjustment bracketthat allows adjustment of the bracing structure corresponding to a widthof the side of the bathtub.
 9. The child bath seat of claim 7, whereinthe seat body is suspended over the bottom surface of the bathtub.
 10. Amethod of securing a bath seat within a bathtub for bathing a childtherein, comprising: placing the bath seat into the bathtub, the bathseat including; a seat body including both a seat and retainingstructure extending above the seat for laterally retaining a child inthe seat body; and a bracing structure having a first end attached tothe seat body, and a second end defining a recess; and attaching thesecond end of the bracing structure over an upper edge of a side of thetub, with the upper edge of the side of the tub received in said recessand the seat body in an upright position.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising: adjusting a horizontal adjustment bracket on thebracing structure to correspond to a width of the side of the bathtub.12. The method of claim 10, wherein the bath seat is suspended over thebottom surface of the bathtub.
 13. A method for bathing a child,comprising placing a child bath seat in a tub, the child bath seatincluding: a seat body including both a seat and retaining structureabove the seat for laterally retaining a child in the seat body; and abracing structure having a first end attached to the seat body, and asecond end defining a recess for receiving an upper edge of a side ofthe tub with the seat body placed within the tub to hold the seat bodyin an upright position; attaching the second end of the bracingstructure over the upper edge of the side of the tub; inserting thechild into the seat body; and securing the child within the retainingstructure.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: adjusting ahorizontal adjustment bracket on the bracing structure to correspond toa width of the side of the bathtub.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinthe bath seat is suspended over the bottom surface of the bathtub.
 16. Achild bath seat placed within and attached to a bathtub, the bath seatcomprising: a seat body including both a seat and a retaining structureextending above the seat for laterally retaining a child seated in theseat body; and a bracing structure holding the seat body in an uprightposition, the bracing structure having a first end attached to the seatbody, and a second end defining a recess receiving an upper edge of aside of the bathtub; wherein the bracing structure includes a verticaladjustment bracket to adjust a vertical position of the seat relative toa bottom surface of the bathtub.
 17. The child bath seat of claim 16,further comprising: a clamping mechanism securing the second end of thebracing structure to the side of the bathtub.
 18. The child bath seat ofclaim 17, wherein the bracing structure includes a horizontal adjustmentbracket that allows adjustment of the bracing structure corresponding toa width of the side of the bathtub.
 19. The child bath seat of claim 16,further comprising: a support member attached to a bottom surface of theseat.
 20. The child bath seat of claim 16, wherein the seat body issuspended over the bottom surface of the bathtub.
 21. The child bathseat of claim 16, wherein the seat body rests on the bottom surface ofthe bathtub.
 22. A child bath seat placed within and clamped to abathtub, the child bath seat comprising: a seat body including both aseat and a retaining structure above the seat for laterally retaining achild in the seat body; and a bracing structure holding the seat in anupright position, the bracing structure having a first end attached tothe seat body, and a second end having a clamp secured over an upperedge of the bathtub; wherein the bracing structure includes a verticaladjustment bracket to adjust a vertical position of the seat relative toa bottom surface of the bathtub.
 23. The child seat of claim 22, whereinthe bracing structure includes a horizontal adjustment bracket thatallows adjustment of the bracing structure corresponding to a width ofthe side of the bathtub.
 24. The child bath seat of claim 22, whereinthe seat body is suspended over the bottom surface of the bathtub.
 25. Amethod of securing a bath seat within a bathtub for bathing a childtherein, comprising: placing the bath seat into the bathtub, the bathseat including; a seat body including both a seat and retainingstructure extending above the seat for laterally retaining a child inthe seat body; and a bracing structure having a first end attached tothe seat body, a second end defining a recess, and a vertical adjustmentbracket; attaching the second end of the bracing structure over an upperedge of a side of the tub, with the upper edge of the side of the tubreceived in said recess and the seat body in an upright position; andadjusting the vertical adjustment bracket to change a vertical positionof the seat relative to a bottom surface of the bathtub.
 26. The methodof claim 25, further comprising: adjusting a horizontal adjustmentbracket on the bracing structure to correspond to a width of the side ofthe bathtub.
 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the bath seat issuspended over the bottom surface of the bathtub.
 28. A method forbathing a child, comprising placing a child bath seat in a tub, thechild bath seat including: a seat body including both a seat andretaining structure above the seat for laterally retaining a child inthe seat body; and a bracing structure having a first end attached tothe seat body, a second end defining a recess for receiving an upperedge of a side of the tub with the seat body placed within the tub tohold the seat body in an upright position, and a vertical adjustmentbracket; attaching the second end of the bracing structure over theupper edge of the side of the tub; inserting the child into the seatbody; securing the child within the retaining structure; and adjustingthe vertical adjustment bracket to change a vertical position of theseat relative to a bottom surface of the bathtub.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, further comprising: adjusting a horizontal adjustment bracketon the bracing structure to correspond to a width of the side of thebathtub.
 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the bath seat is suspendedover the bottom surface of the bathtub.